Strums of guitars buzz through the music hallway during Thursday lunches, inviting curious ears to its source. The sounds come from room 109, where students gather to share their unique musical passions as part of one of RM’s newest clubs this year: the RM RM club. This peculiarly catchy name is short for Richard Montgomery Rock & Metal club, which aims to provide a snug space for its fans to play and enjoy music with one another.

Earlier this year, seniors Patrick Kim and Jeffrey Vedrin frequented the music rooms during lunch to play guitar and learn some new pieces together. These meetings quickly developed into a club as they received increasing appreciation and interest for their music. 

“It dawned upon me that I should create a club when I realized that a lot of people wanted to learn the guitar from me. I also wanted to share the greatness of Polyphia,” said Kim. 

For those who may be unfamiliar, Polyphia is a rock band notable for its progressive instrumental music. Its genre is often called math rock, due to its complexity. 

“I think the sheer technical ability of Polyphia is really amazing…it’s pushing the limits of instrumental music. Tim Henson (the lead guitarist) has a unique way of combining different techniques to create beautiful music, and I think he’s influencing a lot of guitarists like myself.”

While both Kim and Vedrin are devoted to the band and aim to spread its influence, the club is nowhere near exclusive in its membership to Polyphia fans or expert guitarists. 

“We have a pretty diverse group: freshman to seniors, beginners to experts, and we constantly learn from one another,” said Vedrin. He is an amateur guitarist himself and a new fan of Polyphia, responsible for the “rock” part of the club but also exploring his musical passions just as most of the members are. 

“In our meetings, we get to discuss songs and artists we like, and I try to teach members how to play their favorite songs,” said Kim. 

Since the creation of the club, many students took advantage of this collaborative space to relax during lunch while learning something new. Senior Zach Lidl joined the club to play the guitar with others, giving mini-performances to his friends as well. 

“I would recommend it to friends because it is a very fun club and I’m able to interact with other guitar players as well as just hang out,” said Lidl. 

As the lack of time and the high cost of musical lessons often pose barriers to further pursue an instrument, an additional goal of the founders is to alleviate these challenges for students. 

“Since people often don’t have space in their schedule to take guitar classes, it [the club] gives a good opportunity for them to try and learn,” said Vedrin. 

“Overall, I just want everyone to have fun and progress, building off of one another.”